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Lower White Creek

Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Copper, Lead
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Links to other databases
  13. Bibliographic references
  14. General comments
  15. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10000718
MRDS ID A011356
Record type Site
Current site name Lower White Creek
Related records 10258655

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -147.32276, 63.19963 (WGS84)
Relative position This site represents an area of gold placer mines on lower White Creek. The map site is at the junction of White and Rusty creeks, at the west-central edge of sec. 11, T. 20 S., R. 2 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. With its tributaries, Rusty, Little Rusty, and Big Rusty creeks, White Creek has a total drainage basin of more than ten square miles.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Matanuska-Susitna(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Healy A-1(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Mount Hayes SW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Healy(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Susitna River(hydrologic unit)

Susitna River(hydrologic accounting unit)

South Central Alaska(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Gold Primary
Copper Secondary
Lead Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Ore Material = NATIVE Copper

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Arsenopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Hessite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Orpiment Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Realgar Ore
Quartz Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 119
USGS model code 39a
Deposit model name Placer Au-PGE
Mark3 model number 54

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Slate
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Slate

Nearby scientific data

(1) -147.32276, 63.19963
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = White Creek drains the west slope of Gold Hill, which probably is the source of much of the placer gold. The productive part of White Creek is its lower end, which consists of a prograde delta containing a large volume of low-grade auriferous gravels. Intercalated with the gold-bearing fluvial gravels are several extensive fine-grained, black, delicately cross-bedded, barren lake sediment deposits up to twenty feet thick.? the best paystreaks appear to be high-energy channels cut through the low-grade gravels and lake sediments. These channels contain boulders up to four feet in diameter but are not incised into bedrock to any appreciable extent. The lower end of these channels appears to spread out over older gravels to form blanket deposits that contain elevated gold values. These gold-bearing gravels merge with lower grade Valdez Creek gravels at the lower end of White Creek. The White Creek gravels probably were the source for most of the gold reconcentrated in the Valdez Creek channel deposits farther downstream (D.L. Stevens, personal observations).? Other auriferous ground is on the lower slopes of Gold Hill just above White Creek. Systematic ground sluicing downslope from a water ditch revealed auriferous gravels and rock derived from up slope. The lode source of this gold has not been found.
  • Age = Stratigraphic relations suggest that the pay streak on White Creek is younger than the paleochannels on lower Valdez Creek.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Active

Mining district

District name Valdez Creek

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Reserves = Confidential data.

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Lower White Creek was first drilled in 1987, and has been mined each summer commencing about 1990.? the lower slope of Gold Hill was mined during the 1930's, and there has been small-scale mining more recently.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Reger and Bundtzen, 1994

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Placer Au-PGE (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 07-APR-2000 D.L. Stevens Stevens Exploration Management Corporation

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Alaska resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.